- #1
wc2351
- 6
- 0
Hi,
It never occurred to me before, but when you derive the spin-orbit Hamiltonian as a perturbation to the hydrogen Hamiltonian, you imagine your electron orbiting around the nucleus, and of course that's not the correct picture because of the electromagnetic radiation that leaks out. So I guess a rigorous derivation of the spin-orbit Hamiltonian has to be done at the level of Dirac eq or QED...but I haven't learned either of them so could someone describe how it goes?
It never occurred to me before, but when you derive the spin-orbit Hamiltonian as a perturbation to the hydrogen Hamiltonian, you imagine your electron orbiting around the nucleus, and of course that's not the correct picture because of the electromagnetic radiation that leaks out. So I guess a rigorous derivation of the spin-orbit Hamiltonian has to be done at the level of Dirac eq or QED...but I haven't learned either of them so could someone describe how it goes?